(e)Xtend ChemEd X looks outside the resources available at ChemEd X to items of interest to the community throughout the internet.
Xtend includes Picks, which includes a short description of books, articles, journals, magazines, and web items that our contributors and staff find interesting, professional development events, tweets, and news feeds.
On April 22, 2017, people all over the world will be coming together to stand up for science. The March for Science is a part of a global movement by scientists, science-enthusiasts, and evidence-based policy makers to celebrate the integral role science plays in all our lives. The March will serve to further several goals, I encourage you to read about them.
Each week I decided to put on paper, or in a blog, one concrete action that I could take that I was pretty sure would help at least one student. After almost three years and close to a hundred entries, the entries were separated into categories by multiple people. The result was pretty clear....my biggest struggles were with assessment.
According to the app store description, Chemical Formula Challenge is "An educational game to improve your ability to form chemical formulas from chemical names. You can either play it yourself or challenge a friend". The app features different levels of play such as easy, normal, and hard regarding the difficulty of the ions. As an example, beryllium chloride is considered "easy" while lead II nitride is considered "hard". The app then gives the user several ions to choose from and the user must then select the correct number of ions needed to balance the formula correctly.
I was at a workshop recently, when a friend suggested I read, Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Atkins, Oxford University Press. The friend suggested the book would not take long to read, and given the name included the phrase "A very short introduction" who was I to argue? So I bought the Kindle Version of the book for about $7 U.S. and got to reading.
If this is a site all about chemistry teaching, what in the world does a book called "10% Happier" have to do with anything? Let me explain....I'll try the short, condensed, one page executive summary.
Women’s History Month (March 1 - 31, 2017) honors the contributions of women to American culture and society. The American Chemical Society has selected some women scientists that contributed to important discoveries during times of rampant gender discrimination. Consider sharing these with your students.
This week, one of my students alerted me to some mobile apps featuring chemistry. One, in particular, seems to be mostly free and incorporates a hands-on approach to conducting virtual laboratory experiments. The app is called BEAKER - Mix Chemicals and is offered by THIX on the Apple and Google Play Stores. My student demonstrated how the app works and I gotta say - it's pretty sleek.
Chem 101 is a FREE (for a limited time) app for any apple or android device designed to improve engagement in college chemistry courses. Although the intended audience is college level, there are modules appropriate for high school as well. Students can use the app to practice on their own, or instructors can create in-class or at home assignments.
CHEM Ed 2017 will be in Brookings, South Dakota on the campus of South Dakota State University from July 23 through 27. Currently the conference program directors are accepting abstract submissions through February 28th.
This webinar will introduce the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Framework, implementation strategies, and how it helps create a classroom culture that more accurately reflects the ways progress in scientific knowledge and communication take place in the real world. Free webinar for all AMTA members!